# Organize Your Purse



## Aprill (Oct 2, 2007)

There isn't a woman in the world who hasn't spent an inordinate amount of time with her arm buried in her purse, searching blindly for something. The solution: utilizing the bag-within-the-bag method.

"Containerize," says Linda Rothschild, president of the National Association of Professional Organizers and owner of the New York City company Cross It Off Your List. "It's easy to lose things at the bottom of a big tote. If you containerize your essentials â€” wallet, keys, glasses, business cards, lipstick â€” in a little zip-up bag inside the big bag, you can find them quickly."

*Two Strategies*

There are two ways to organize. You can get a bag that has many compartments, then make sure that each compartment has an assigned purpose. Some messenger bags, for instance, have pockets for pens, cell phone, checkbook, or sunglasses. Use outside pockets for things you use most frequently, and inside ones for valuables like your wallet and checkbook.

The second way to containerize is to carry small bags in your large bag. You can keep makeup and related items together, checkbook and wallet in another. See-through containers will make it easy to tell what's what. They'll also encourage you to keep things clean. Color coding is another good idea. Carry a red wallet and a green makeup bag, for instance.

*Personalize Your Systems*

Try to organize with a system that suits your lifestyle.

Congregate things you use together, say, your comb, makeup, hand cream, in one pocket, and your wallet, checkbook, and keys in another.

If you only use your cell phone occasionally, it can go into the least accessible pocket.

If you need an ID card at work, carry it in an outside pocket.

If you're always searching for change, keep it in a pocket that's easy to reach.

Keep receipts in one place, then sort them out when you get home.

If you have children, containerize everything they'll need â€” bottles, diapers, toys, and pacifiers â€” in one bag and your personal things in another. The kids' things could be in a tote that you hang on the back of a stroller and your personal things in a backpack, leaving your arms free for picking up toddlers.

Finally, don't let all those cute compartments and containers encourage you to carry more than you need. You don't want to look like a superorganized bag lady.

Organize Your Purse | Getting Organized for Fall | Organizing : RealSimple.com


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## michal_cohen (Oct 2, 2007)

great post

thx!


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## viol8 (Oct 2, 2007)

I try to do this but it always turns into a big mess.


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## Solimar (Oct 2, 2007)

I do this all the time...muuuuch easier since all my bags are big.


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## emily_3383 (Oct 3, 2007)

Thanks for posting i try my hardest to keep it organized. I carry so much crap!


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## magosienne (Oct 4, 2007)

trust me, if you're the kind of carrying your house with you everyday (




) a bag with many compartments is a big time saver. i made also sure i could carry my bag on the shoulder or accross my body to get free hands when i need to.


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## farris2 (Oct 5, 2007)

I so need to do that


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## PT-BC99 (Oct 8, 2007)

Great article, thanks for posting! I have used the small ziplock bags to organize advil and tampons and such. I'll have to try using one for makeup and other things I carry frequently. Thanks again.


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## princessmich (Oct 8, 2007)

Awesome tips=) I always like to purge mine, keeping only the necessary items i need=)


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## mickey1962 (Oct 11, 2007)

Great tips - my bag really needs organization!


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## fawp (Oct 11, 2007)

All of my bags have inside pockets so I keep my compact in one, a pack of gum in one, my phone in another, and I keep a pen and my wallet on the bottom and place my sunglasses on top of my wallet. I rarely carry makeup around with me but if I do I keep it in a small cosmetic bag and place it underneath my wallet.


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## rebelle (Oct 12, 2007)

Great tips! And I'm one of those girls who LOVES her big, big totes and bags so I'm constantly digging for everything!


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## POSITIVIBE (Nov 9, 2007)

Thanks for the tips. my bag look like something exploded in there.


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## Maysie (Nov 9, 2007)

nice tips. I need to get organized in a bad way. I was going through my purse the other day and discovered a spoon (wth?) and like 3 weeks worth of receipts.


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## empericalbeauty (Nov 9, 2007)

Thanks for posting this. I really needed it. I dont even bother with my Sh!t anymore cus man..i carry a lot of stuff...My shoulders are starting to get a downslope to them.


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## dixiewolf (Nov 9, 2007)

Originally Posted by *Maysie* /img/forum/go_quote.gif nice tips. I need to get organized in a bad way. I was going through my purse the other day and discovered a spoon (wth?) and like 3 weeks worth of receipts. I had a fork in mine, it was from the lunch I took to work. The worst part was I forgot and went to the courthouse, it showed up on the x-ray machine. I had to fill out paperwork and they confiscated it. I felt like a doofus. Heehee. They gave it back when I left, but they looked at me weird, and asked "what is this!???" when they saw it on the machine.


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## Fashionluvver (Nov 13, 2007)

Thanks for posting.


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## TheOpenRoad (Nov 13, 2007)

I have a "purseket" that I got as a gift.... it's pretty nifty


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## puncturedskirt (Nov 13, 2007)

My purse is pretty organized. I have all the little pockets in my purse too so it's pretty neat.


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## mickey1962 (Oct 25, 2010)

I so need to do this again - I tried it once, and it became a nightmare, because I could not remember where anything was.


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